


Raindrops

by Feeniex



Category: After Showers
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26024884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feeniex/pseuds/Feeniex
Comments: 5
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

Chigusa gently dropped her right foot into the puddle, shattering her reflection. The ripples echoed for a while and were soon still again. She dropped her left foot and watched her reflection shatter again. Her eyes shimmered along with the ripples of the puddle.

She stared at the empty gate of her high school. There was still a good long hour until anyone came by. The student council did ask all the members to arrive at an earlier time so they can prepare for the school festival but she might have reached an _hour too early._

She didn't mind waiting if she had something to entertain herself but in her hurry to reach early her, she might have forgotten her phone. The only activity she could do to entertain herself was talk to any of the teachers but she didn't really want to do that. She would rather prefer being alone.

Deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice a tiny pair of arms slowly snake behind her. Suddenly, they fell on Chigusa's back, startling the poor girl. She whipped around to see a sparkling pair of eyes. Chigusa instinctively pushed the girl and gaped at her as she fell back.

The girl yowled in pain as she broke her fall with her arm and ended up injuring it. She hurriedly attempted to get back up again but it was in vain as she collapsed again.

Chigusa squinted in suspicion. The girl was tiny, a junior perhaps? She had a different uniform. Chigusa recognized it as the one from the nearby high school. What was she doing here? Chigusa hesitated to help her but she felt sorry after her third failed attempt at getting up.

"Are you all right?" Chigusa asked as she helped the girl stand up. The girl gripped her hand tightly.

"Wow! You are strong!" She cheered, her grip tightening on Chigusa's arm.

"oh, thanks?" Chigusa flinched in pain and carefully ushered the girl on a nearby bench and helped her sit down.

The girl flashed her a bright smile and Chigusa nervously smiled back. After a weird moment of silence, Chigusa laughed nervously.

"So, uh, what is your name?" She asked, kneeling down to meet her sparkly eyes.

"oh! oh! what is YOUR name?" She asked, brightly.

Chigusa stared. She blinked. A part of her wanted to be immature and say I asked first but she held back and sighed. "I am Chigusa. A member of the student council."

"Aw, man! student council? That's like such a big deal! The girl giggled. "This school has changed so much! It was so big before! I wonder what happened?"

"Oh! are you an alumnus?" Chigusa asked, doubtful. She seemed too young to have already graduated but her words hada nostalgic air to them. Almost like an adult who missed her days of fun in high school.

"What? Do I really look that old? Jeez!" She huffed. "I am a junior!"

"Oh!" Chigusa exclaimed, taken aback. "I just assumed so from the way you were talking. I didn't mean to offend you."

"That's mmkay! I was on leave for the past week. I didn't know that the school was under renovation! it looks so different now." She swayed from side to side, cheerfully taking in her surroundings.

"I am glad you like it but the school was not under renovation. It's been pretty much the same since the school was established." Chigusa tilted her head to the side, confused as the girl mirrored her.

"What are you talking about? The school's completely changed! There was a set of swings over there!-

"Pretty sure there was no swing set." Chigusa shook her head.

"What about the flowerbed? Wasn't it closer to the building before?"

"No?" Chigusa shook her head as the girl struggled to comprehend everything.

"Also, but- but- I am sure the school was a pale red before! What do you have to say about that?" She accusingly pointed at Chigusa, a smile of victory on her face. "Gotcha now!"

"Ah..." Chigusa turned around and stared at the tall building a further away. It was pale red.

"See! I knew I was right! Jeez, you sure are a ditz for being a part of the student council and not knowing that the school has gone through a huge makeover. Anyway, that's fine! I assume you are-

"You are at the wrong high school." Chigusa interrupted.

"eh?"

"That's Yuigaoka high school. The pale red one." Chigusa pointed.

"Ahhh."

Chigusa didn't know if she was a klutz or naive or...just stupid. Chigusa waited as she took in the new realization, slowly

"Oops, sorry." She smiled, sheepishly, and winked at Chigusa. "Let's move past this, shall we?"

"Sure..." Chigusa laughed, hesitantly and the girl laughed along with her.

"So, why are you here so early?" She asked, completely forgetting about her goof up.

"Ah, it was for some student council work." She gently brushed through her hair, avoiding her sparkling eyes. The whole situation was strange and she just wanted it to end. Wanting to avoid any more questions Chigusa asked one instead.

"So, why were you on leave for a week?"

"Ah!" For the first time in the entire conversation, she looked away. "I was in the hospital.." She muttered. "because of an accident."

Her eyes rested in the faraway trees, now avoiding Chigusa's gaze.

She was in an accident. Chigusa felt her heartache. She had pushed her. How could she? It was just her defensive impulsive nonetheless she had hurt another person who was already hurt.

Chigusa opened her mouth to say something. _Anything._ However, she couldn't bring herself to say anything except for-

"What...happened..?" Her voice was extremely low. A near whisper.

"Ah, well, haha." Her voice quivered.

Chigusa had pushed her.

" _I should_ _have been more careful"_ she lamented.

"I jabbed my pen into my pet horse's eye."

Chigusa had pushed her.

 _"I should have pushed her harder"_ She lamented.

"...what?" Chigusa's eyes twitched. "huh?"

"Ahhh! it was an accident! I swear! She charged at me!" She sniffed. "I love my sweet Princess! she is adorable but she attacked me when I was sketching. It was so sudden."

The girl jumped off the bench moving violently. "I was like 'wait!' but Princess was all like...mad! super mad! I tried to stop her but I forgot about the pen in my hand and I accidentally...jabbed her." A flash of pain flashed her face as she gloomily sat down.

"Princess pushed me off the fence I was sitting on and tumble down the hill was pretty painful." She sighed. Her disheveled golden blonde hair flopping over her eyes after her little skit. "Princess is all right though so I am glad!"

"Ah...I see." Chigusa felt sorry. She gently took her arm and examined it.

"Did you hurt your hand?" Chigusa asked, even if the marks on her hand made it obvious. She nodded and Chigusa gently rubbed it.

"Wowee! your hands are like magic, sis!" She giggled.

"Ah! thank you." Chigusa massaged her hands as the two went back to a comfortable silence with the occasional giggles from the girl.

"Sis, someone's coming!" She pointed excitedly. Chigusa looked up to see one of the student council members and got up. She checked the time on the large school clock and realized she needed to get to work.

"Well, looks like it's time for you to go." Chigusa smiled.

The girl nodded and hopped off the tiny set of stairs.

She turned around and clasped Chigusa's hands and held them close to her. "This is the beginning of a new friendship! don't forget me! Bye!"

"Who was that?" Chigusa's colleague in the student council asked just as he finished climbing up the stairs.

"A..." Chigusa gazed at her hands which were still warm. "friend."

"What's her name?"

Chigusa gasped as she realized that she never asked her name. "Well, it's complicated."

"No! my name's not complicated!"

Chigusa and the boy jumped in surprise and turned around to see the sparkly golden eyes.

"That was funny, right? I have pretty good comedy timing!" She hopped shifting her weight from one leg to another.

"What's wrong? Did you want something?"

"Left my bag lol. Bye." Just as swiftly as she had arrived she grabbed her bag and stormed off like a little tornado.

Chigusa huffed.

"Hey, Chigusa, let's go. We got work to do."

'"Yeah." Chigusa looked back one last time just in time to see the girl trip and fall, turn around, flash a goofy smile, and run away. She sure was weird a one.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have forgotten how to write. Send help. Not beta read BECAUSE WE DIE LIKE MEN. Also, hi Mika.

Chigusa dragged her feet across the hallway. The day had been exhausting and she just wanted home and take a nap. Five hours of continuous classes can make anyone lose their mind. The idea of finally being able to go home and kick back flared her up she pushed ahead with all the files in her hand.

Chigusa pushed ahead with the heavy stack of files blocking her visions. However, her keen ears caught a tired sigh and she stopped short and found the secretary of the student council, Riko wiping her face with her hanky. Her short dark hair clung to her face from all the heat and she seemed to be in terrible pain just like Chigusa.

"Hey, Chigusa. How many more files are remaining?" She asked, beads of sweat rolling down her face as if she like she dunked her head in a swimming pool.

"Still a lot more but I think the boys will join us soon." Chigusa shrugged.

"Ahhhh, man. Why can't the teachers do it on their own? We are the student council, not their slaves." Riko huffed and hurried away before Chigusa could say anything back. 

Chigusa sighed and quickened her pace. She could feel Riko's pain but it was better not to whine and just do as they were said. The sooner they finish the better she resolved and hurried along.

She gently pushed the door open with her elbow, stacks of files in her hand dangerously leaning towards her left, and entered the room. She placed the files down and smiled in satisfaction for not dropping any.

"Finally…" Chigusa stretched her aching arms and prepared herself for another trip to the staff room.

Suddenly, the secretary entered the room by smashing the door open catching Chigusa off guard, and dumped a mountain of files on the table. 

"Wow, that's a ton of them," Chigusa said as she caught some of the files that slipped from the stack and arranged them efficiently.

"Yep, that's it. We have taken care of almost half of the files. The boys can handle the rest." Riko nodded. "It's only fair. We have already done a ton of work. Let's go home, Chigusa." 

"Are you sure? I mean if the boys don't do it then we will get into trouble as well." Chigusa said, worried. 

"Nah, don't you worry. I am telling the teachers that we did our bit." Riko gave Chigusa a thumbs up. "Good work today, Chigusa. Off you go home." 

"I will wait for you at the gate," Chigusa said.

"You don't have to. I still have ten more minutes of work left." Riko smiled.

Before Chigusa could form words, Riko was already off, nimble as a cat. Riko's smiles were always a rare sight and Chigusa was glad to catch one of them.

It had been almost an hour since the teachers had asked them to shift the older files to the storeroom and although there were enough files to fill an entire classroom, Riko and she had done quite a good job. Chigusa felt a little bad leaving it to the boys but as Riko had said they had done half the work. It was only fair.

Chigusa picked her stuff up and walked to the gates and looked back. Riko had helped her the entire day and it felt unfair leaving her alone after she did so much of the work and so she waited for Riko staring aimlessly at the sky.

Just as ten minutes passed Riko was at the gate, waving her hand at Chigusa, as punctual as ever.

  
"You didn't have to wait for me, you know." Riko fixed her glasses. "Although, I am quite glad you did. My street is kind of dangerous so I don't feel safe walking alone." 

"Oh! How do you usually go home?" Chigusa asked, secretly admiring the way Riko's hair bounced like a fluffy cloud.

"I usually walk with my neighbor. She is a year older than me but she had to leave early because her mom asked her to. She would wait for me usually." Riko smiled. "It turned out for the best I would say." 

"What do you mean?" Chigusa asked, a little confused.

"Well, I don't think we have talked outside of student council work. It's nice to get to know the only sane person in the council." Riko rolled her eyes. "The boys are freaking nuts. They never do anything. How did they get elected?" Riko shook her head. "Pathetic." She whispered.

"They are quite popular." Chigusa giggled as Riko just became more displeased.

"Sadly, popularity does not equal responsibility." 

Riko was passionate about student council work and Chigusa had a ton of respect for Riko. She would never skip a single meeting and would always work the hardest, even if she didn't like the assignment given or was unfair as it was today.

Riko was truly admirable.

"It's quite peaceful to spend time with you, Chigusa. I have to say you are just as gentle as you seem from afar." Riko hummed. "How lovely. You are nothing like my insane classmates or the council monkeys." 

"Ah, thank you!" Chigusa smiled, graciously. 

They walked in comfortable silence until Riko began whistling the theme song of the famous soap opera that every grandmother and mother watched. Chigusa soon joined humming certain iconic bits, enjoying the quiet walk with Riko. Such peace was almost extinct in their busy lives. It was a nice feeling.

"SIS!!" A scream caught them both off guard as they jumped in unison.

Ah, it wasn't so nice anymore. 

Chigusa turned around and the chaos in front of her eyes could not be comprehended by her brain at all. It was a barking girl and followed by huge crying dogs.

Wait, no. 

It was a crying girl BEING FOLLOWED BY HUGE BARKING DOGS. OH NO.

"What the hell is going on?" Riko questioned, confused out of her mind.

"Sis! AAAAAH!" The girl stumbled past the light poles and fell into Chigusa arms. Chigusa recognized her as the girl from yesterday.

"Those dogs do not look friendly, Chigusa…" Riko murmured. 

"WHY ARE THEY MAD? I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING. IJUSTSTEPPEDONTHEIRTAILITWASANACCIDENT. AAHHHHHHHHHH" She burst into an incoherent babble that not even the world's greatest linguistic expert could decipher.

"Don't move," Riko whispered. "Stay calm." Her strong voice of authority and Chigusa's gentle pats soon calmed her down.

"Stay still! Don't. move. at. all. and do not make eye contact." Chigusa nodded and looked at the little flowers on the sidewalk to distract herself. She could feel the dogs staring, boring holes through her. The teeth were extremely sharp and she did not want to be at the receiving end of its bite.

After a few minutes of the tense atmosphere which felt like hours to Chigusa, Riko carefully slipped her bag off her shoulders and suddenly threw it towards the dog. The dog yelped and Riko let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

"That was extremely risky." Chigusa worried as she picked up Riko's bag and held it tight.

"I know." Riko huffed. "Well, glad that's over." Riko sighed, again, massaging her head. She turned to the girl with her piercing frown. "What- what- what the hell was that?" Riko asked, furiously pointing at the girl.

The girl who was as still as a rock suddenly broke down into a babble of incoherent screeches.

"Oh my GOD TELL HER TO SHUT UP!" Riko screamed and the girl jumped.

"Hey! You are mean! I just got traumatized and that's what you have to say?" The girl screeched back. "Sis, she's being mean! Tell her off." 

"I-

"Tell me off? We were having a good time before you joined in. If anything we are the ones who have to tell you off." Riko glared back. She was taken aback by Riko's sudden outburst and scowled back, fuming, struggling to think up of a better comeback.

"Riko, please- 

"You- you- You are mean! Mean! Mean! Meaaaan!" She stuck her tongue out. 

"You are such a child. Is that all you could come up with?" 

"MEANIE MEANIE MEANIE!" 

"Guys! Please! Stop fighting!" Chigusa yelled, catching both their attention. Riko turned away and the girl stuck her tongue out at Riko. 

"Sorry, I went a bit too far." Riko sighed for the umpteenth time. "Just a stupid kid. No need to get heated." Riko mumbled and Chigusa handed her bag back to her, giving Riko a friendly pat.

The girl huffed. "You better be sorry." 

"Oh, you think I am apologizing to you? Not in this life. I am apologizing to Chigusa, you stupid child." Riko snapped.

"CHILD?! I AM NOT A CHILD!" She puffed up her cheeks. Her eyes filled up with tears threatening to spill any moment.

"Oh, dear." Riko massaged her forehead, extremely disappointed. "Chigusa, where did you even pick this one up from?" 

"Ahaha.." Chigusa laughed, nervously and bent down, gently patting the girl's head. 

"Are you all right?" Chigusa asked. 

"Yeah.." The girl sniffed.

"What happened?" 

"Do you want to know? Would you listen to me?"

"Of course I would," Chigusa answered, her heart filling with remorse for the poor girl. 

Kiyoko wiped her eyes and suddenly flared up. A complete change from a few minutes ago. She hopped up on a crate and began her dramatic recollection.

"So! Listen well!" She squeaked."I and my friend were having a battle!" 

"A battle?" Chigusa questioned, confused out of her mind.

"Yep! A battle of supremacy over who chooses the topic of research for over group project! A Pokemon battle!" 

"Oh…"

"This is so silly." Riko sighed. "Pointless."

"It was going great! I know I would win without a doubt! It was so close but I knew victory was close as I fired the last attack!" Kiyoko pumped her arms up. "It would have been checking awesome!" 

"Chigusa, let's go," Riko whispered. "She is way too into it. I think she forgot that we even exist." Riko pulled Chigusa's arm and all Chigusa could do was laugh nervously and resist.

"I jumped up in excitement!" She hopped, showing them a demonstration. "It was so epic." Her eyes glimmering, she posed with her hands up high. "…and then I stepped on the dog's tail." She finished, giggling sheepishly. "I have bo idea when that dog joined us though. Maybe during the second round…?" 

"Are you blind? How do you miss such a large dog?"

"Hey! It was an accident!" 

"Accidents happen because of carelessness. Just admit it you were careless and you didn't know how to get out of it and put two more people in trouble. Irresponsible! How could you even-"

"Riko, Riko, it's fine. Let's all settle down for now." Chigusa said, calmly. "No need to fight. None of us are hurt." 

Riko took a deep breath. "Fine, fine. You're right. Let's just go home." 

"ME-ANIE" The girl screamed. "You are a big fat meanie! I hope- I hope- I hope- 

"You hope what? Don't you have a comeback? I don't think I should expect anything from someone as moronic as you anyway." 

"Riko….." Chigusa struggled to calm Riko's rage. Once she gets going, it's almost impossible to stop her.

"I hope you fall into a ditch, you four-eyes!" Kiyoko laughed as Riko fumed. Chigusa swore she could see smoke streaming out of her ears.

"That's it, little girl! What's your name?" Riko asked, a scary gleam in her eyes that made even Chigusa back off.

"It's Kiyoko and stops calling me a little girl! What's your name, four eyes?" 

Kiyoko Chigusa memorized. It was the first time she had heard hee name after all. Pretty Chigusa thought.

Riko pushed her hair back and took her stance. "It's Riko Date." 

"Ah!" Kiyoko exclaimed and snuck towards Chigusa and gently pulled her uniform.

"Yes?" Chigusa asked while Riko tilted her head in confusion.

"Ssh! Not so loud!" Kiyoko motioned Chigusa to be quiet. "The four eyes demon was quite cool just now. Should I announce my last name as well or is it too late?" 

"Um…I think it's fine?" Chigusa replied. "You don't have to and I don't know what's so cool about her last name."

"Are you sure? Isn't it better to make my escape and challenge her next time?" 

"Huh?" It was now Chigusa's turn to be extremely confused.

"No, maybe I should tell her my address and my parent's name as well. Would it be cool if I announced my grandparent's name too?" Kiyoko monologued and all Chigusa could fo was hope she wouldn't explain her entire lineage.

"I think you should just be polite. You don't have to announce…...all that." 

"I have to! After four eyes demon made it look so cool I have to do it as well!" Kiyoko said with her eyes' glimmering in excitement.

"Ahahaha…" Chigusa laughed nervously. "I- I think you look cool either way." 

"I can hear you! Just announce your last name and leave, got it? Don't waste any more of my time." Riko snarled. "Did you just assume I was deaf?" 

"Ouch, it's not so cool anymore." Kiyoko twiddled her thumbs.

"It wasn't cool, to begin with. There is literally nothing cool about telling people your last name." Riko really wanted to kick the kid and it was taking way too much of her strength to hold herself back.

"Fine! Whatever! I am Kiyoko Fujioka and I will defeat you! wahahahaha!" Kiyoko declared and swiftly ran away almost tripping on her feet.

Chigusa couldn't help but giggle when she heard Kiyoko cry "Aw man, that's not cool at all! As she tripped on her feet for the second time.

"Hey, Chigusa, is brain damage contagious? I might have gotten some from that brat." Riko sighed and all Chigusa could do was laugh nervously for the millionth time.  



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mika, I miss you pls come bacc. Also, Hi, Mika.

Chigusa stretched her arms and released all the stress in her bones. Biology class had dragged on for two hours and her entire body was stiff after not moving for so long. Her biology teacher was not exactly the kindest soul and she had taken an hour extra. She would have snatched another hour but she ended up having to end the class since any longer and the students would have strangled her to death. (Chigusa had considered stabbing herself midway but blood is too hard to clean up.)

The class scurried out like a bunch of tiny hamsters until Chigusa and Riko were the only ones in the class doing mundane jobs and finishing up. Chigusa locked the windows while Riko dusted the blackboard off.

"Has the class rep ever once fulfilled any of his tasks? Why in the world should the student council DUST THE BLACKBOARD?" She grumbled and Chigusa couldn't help but giggle at an angry Riko aggressively scrubbing the blackboard.

"Ah, well, you know how he is. It's usually us or Aguri who ends up having to do these chores." Chigusa latched the last window and ticked it off her mental checklist.

"Aguri is too much of a pushover. Speaking of Aguri, where is she? She is the one who usually dusts the board off." 

"Oh, she left along with the rest a while ago," Chigusa answered as she chucked a scrap of paper into the trash.

"Think we are all done here. Ready to go?" Chigusa asked.

"Yep, yep. Off we go." They stepped out of the empty classroom and locked the door.

They waved goodbyes to some familiar faces while Riko aggressively typed something on her mobile.

"Speaking about Aguri I heard she won a contest recently?" 

"She did." Chigusa hummed. "I watched it online and her voice is just so angelic. It's hard to think that the shy Aguri that fidgets around in class and the bold singer on stage is the same Aguri." 

Once they stepped out of the school gates Chigusa heard the faint sound of peppy music that could make anyone want to bust out into a dance.

"What's going on? A festival?" Riko asked. Chigusa looked around and she could see a lot of excited students hopping around. Ballons, snacks, and all of the excitement seemed to be coming from a particular direction.

"You didn't know?" A soft voice asked that Chigusa immediately recognized as Aguri. Chigusa would have said speak of the devil but devil and Aguri should not be in the same sentence.

Aguri ambled in front of them hurriedly, a pink flush on her face and puffing out little breaths of air.

"Yuigaoka's having their cultural festival." Aguri burst out, animatedly.

"Is that why you weren't with us today?" Chigusa asked and Aguri nodded, embarrassed.

"Sorry that you guys had to do all the work. I took off to Yuigaoka after class but it was a bit too early apparently and sis told me to come after things got a bit of momentum." Aguri giggled again, fidgeting with the bow on her hair.

"Sis?" Riko asked, looking up from her phone.

"My little sister has a stage performance today and I want to cheer her on," Aguri said, flushing a bright pink. "She wouldn't tell me what she's doing since it's a secret but I wish I could help her out!"

  
Aguri's twin tails bounced and all the fidgeting caused her bow to loosen up. She nervously tried to fix her hair. Fidgeting helplessly Aguri gave up and Chigusa delicately fixed the bow on Agumi's redhead instead and Aguri mumbled a soft thank you in return.

"Oh boy, you sure are excited." Riko laughed at the usual passive Aguri who giggled back in return.

"I am so excited! My sister is just the biggest sweetheart and I can not wait to see her on stage." 

"Hope it doesn't rain." Riko looked up. "The sky's sunny but the weather forecast did say there was a chance of rain," Riko said, unsure.

"It won't! I know it won't!" Aguri's dark eyes gleamed. "It's going to be a lot of fun and…umm…" She fidgeted nervously. "I was wondering if..um…"

"Yes?" Chigusa coaxed her. "You can tell us. We are your friends." 

"Um…oh, thanks Chigusa. I was just wondering if you guys would join me in looking around the festival?" She implored. "It would be a lot of fun. I would've asked Miyu but she's busy helping her sister out for the festival." Aguri groaned. "Oh…I wish I could help my sister out too…." 

"Who's Miyu?" Riko whispered.

"Aguri's friend. She's not from our class." 

"Ah." 

"Um….?" Aguri tensed up at Riko's whispers and Riko immediately waved her away. "Nope, not whispering about you. Don't worry." 

"Do you want to join her, Riko?" Chigusa subtly checked her wristwatch and confirmed that she had enough time to take a look through the festival. She would get to have a bit of fun today!

"Oh, sure. I can go home a little late today and anyway we need to know what our rival school's up to so that we can make our festival 100 times better than theirs." Riko clicked her tongue. "Yuigaoka's going down." 

"Not everything is a competition, Riko." Chigusa poked Riko's cheek and the brunette's eyes' widened. "Guess it's decided then. We are coming along" She said to Aguri.

Aguri smiled, in unmistakable happiness and hopped ahead with Chigusa and Riko right behind her.

* * *

"That balloon arch is a lovely idea. It's colorful and quite vibrant. It attracts a lot of attention I wouldn't be surprised if people who had no idea about the festival knew something festive was going on by looking at the arch." Riko clicked her pen. "I am writing that down."

  
Chigusa giggled. "Yes, as if the huge crowds of people, all these stalls, and the announcements don't make it obvious, the balloon arch will. Thank you, ballon arch." 

"Ouch. Sarcastic Chigusa hurts."

She plopped her hand on Riko's shoulder and poked her cheek again when she turned around."Let's just have some fun, ok? We can keep any cool ideas we see in our heads. No need to write them down, all right?" 

"Oh….but…" 

"Riko." Chigusa huffed, a faux pout on her face. "Come on now." 

"Fine, fine. I know you have a good memory so you better tell me anything cool you remember after the festival. Trust me, you better keep your phone close because I am calling you the moment you reach home." Riko huffed as she clicked her pen and the nib slid back in.

"Cute." 

Riko and Chigusa snapped around towards Aguri but the redhead was innocently humming along to the music of the festival.

"Did you say something?" 

"Nope." Aguri hopped ahead and Riko suspiciously followed her in with Chigusa once again at the tail end.

The festival was gorgeous. There were a wide variety of stalls and everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives. Chigusa couldn't help but swoon over all the cute plushies. (Riko would deny it but even she thought the little bunny plushies were adorable.)

(Chigusa bought two of them.)

(Riko took it but she pretended it was just out of obligation.)

(Aguri later caught Riko snuggling the bunny plushie.)

(Riko denied it.)

"How large is the festival? It seems to never end- Eek! there are so many more stalls here." Aguri hopped from one foot to another. "Ahhhhhh, I can not find Miko! Where is she?" 

"Didn't your sister give you any directions or anything? A specific place? Any landmark?" Riko asked as Chigusa gently pressed the panicked Aguri's shoulders.  
  
"She just told me to look for a stage!" 

"A stage shouldn't be hard to find," Chigusa said. "Maybe we could ask around?" 

"Or you know, You could just ask me." 

"Oh no." Riko groaned.

A purple blob of hair jumped in front of them and Chigusa gasped. "Kiyoko!" 

"Oh no." Riko turned around. "Aguri, Chigusa, we are leaving." 

"Hey!" Kiyoko huffed. "Meanie!" 

Aguri glanced at Kiyoko in confusion and Chigusa whispered to her "She's a friend. Her name is Kiyoko." Aguri responded with a furious nod of her head.

"Oh…hi there!" Aguri waved, shyly. "Can you help us out?" 

"Of course I can! I know the school like the back of my hand!" Kiyoko replied, the pride apparent in her tone. "The school's huge and beautiful, huh? Quite easy to get lost." 

  
Riko ignored the purple-head and desperately caught hold of Chigusa. "Chigusa, please. Not this little weirdo. There are thousands of people here. Anyone else but her." Riko pulled on Chigusa's arm in distraught. "Also, weren't you the same one who mistook our school for Yuigaoka. You're the last person who should be the one showing is around.

"Hey! That was an accident! Also, I was nice enough to follow you and make sure you guys didn't get lost or fell into a ditch or something!" Kiyoko puffed her cheeks up with air. "I am like your little guardian angel!"

"Guardian angel? More like a creep. You were following us, you hecking weirdo?" Riko clicked her tongue. "I am calling the police on you." 

"Rude. I tried to call you guys but you were too busy ignoRING ME!" Kiyoko angrily turned to Chigusa. "I expect that from the demon but you too?!" 

"Aw, I am sorry, Kiyoko. I didn't mean to ignore you. The music was just too loud we couldn't even hear ourselves over it." Chigusa ruffled Kiyoko's hair and despite herself, Kiyoko giggled, softly.

"Welp, it was nice seeing you here. Goodbye!" Riko grabbed Aguri and Chigusa and tried to run away but Kiyoko leaped around in front and blocked her.

"Well, you're going the wrong way. I can show you the right way if you follow ME." 

"Nope, we are good. Bye!" Riko tried to slip away again but Aguri stopped her and turned around to Kiyoko.

"No, wait." Aguri politely bowed to Kiyoko. "Please take us to the stage." 

"Aguri, come on, don't be all polite to this brat." Riko pulled on Aguri's hand but she refused to budge. 

"Sorry, Riko. I think it would be quicker if we could just follow her." 

"Hehehe, since you asked so nicely." Kiyoko yanked Chigusa's hand from Riko's earning a yelp of surprise from Chigusa. "Let's go!" 

Aguri shortly followed the two with Riko hesitantly running behind them. 

"I swear if she gets us lost I am going to commit some unholy things," Riko muttered.

"Please don't, Riko. We have a council meeting tomorrow. I wouldn't want you in jail." Chigusa laughed albeit a bit nervous.

After a short run through the colorful streets, a huge stage came into view. Chigusa couldn't help but stare in awe at the beautiful stage. The entire festival seemed to be a cacophony of colors while the stage had a dark starry theme. The background was filled with stars of different sizes which she assumed were painted by hand.

Little planets were hanging from the top of the stage and the carpet was a deep blue almost like a river under the night sky.

"Wow," Riko whispered and Chigusa didn't even stop Riko from pulling her notebook and scribbling down words.Actually, Chigusa didn't think that words could be enough to describe the beautiful stage.

"Sis!" Chigusa snapped out of her trance when a little redhead came tumbling out from behind the stage. She was like a tiny version of Aguri but the main difference between the two was Aguri's twin tails while the little one had curly red hair that went away past her shoulders.

The little one bent over and caught her breath, straightened up, and huffed at Aguri. 

"You are way too early!" She shook her head. "Be patient, sis. I don't understand you." 

"I just wanted to check on you." Aguri fidgeted with the bow on her uniform. "Miyu was helping her sister out so I thought you might need some help too." 

"Sis, I am not five years old. I don't need you I can take care of myself. Stop babying me, sis. Jeez." She shook her head, her curls bouncing along with her. "I am going back. You go have some fun or something. Stop being so clingy." 

"H-have fun!" Aguri sputtered and smiled. The instant her sister left Aguri's eyes shot down and she sighed.

"Are you all right?" Chigusa asked and Aguri shook her head. 

"I am fine." She whispered. "I am fine." 

"Jeez talk about being rude. You were just worried. She didn't have to be so mean." Riko snapped.

"Yeah! That's not nice! You are not clingy at all!" Kiyoko stuck her tongue out. 

"You don't even know her name….." Riko shook her head in disappointment.

"I am a good judge of people." Kiyoko declared and Riko couldn't help but snort. 

"I judge that you are a horrid person, Riko Date." 

"Likewise, Kiyoko Fujioka." 

The two continued their bickering with Chigusa trying to stop them between intervals until Aguri slowly tapped Chigusa's shoulders.

"Chigusa, should I not have come here? I just wanted to see her

"You were just worried, Aguri. Don't feel bad." Chigusa smiled. "Don't take what she said to heart. She seemed quite stressed out. I am sure she didn't mean what she said."

"I hope so. Ohhh, I am just overthinking, I know but I can not help but feel I stressed her out right before the performance." Aguri furiously wiped her eyes. "What if she's all nervous now because of me!"

"You are a good sister, Aguri. I am sure she's fine." 

"Thank you, Chigusa but I can not help but be worried. She's a shy girl and lately she has started pushing her boundaries more and more. She said she wants to become more confident."

"Isn't that great? She wants to improve herself!" 

"It's great but I don't want her to push herself too much and end up hurting herself." Aguri sighed, staring at the ground, drawing little circles with her foot.

"Aguri, you are quite shy around people too but you are an absolute star on the stage!" Chigusa curled her hands into fists. "I think she can do it too just like you!" 

"Aw, thanks, Chi." Aguri blushed, scarlet red blooming on her cheeks, matching the colour of her hair. "However I took it one step at a time. I started out with smaller crowds and moved on to bigger ones as I grew more confident but this…um.." 

Chigusa glanced around. It was a huge crowd and the stage performance hadn't even begun yet. Chigusa wasn't exactly shy but even she would be nervous to perform in front of these many people.

"It will be a learning experience, Aguri." Chigusa smiled, softly and offered a hand of comfort to Aguri who gladly took it and squeezed her hand.

"Yeah." She muttered.

"STINKY FISH," Kiyoko's shrill voice cut in, catching Aguri's and Chigusa's attention.

"Wha-?"

"Stinky fish? Seriously? That's the best you could come up with?" 

"STINKY FISH! STINKY FISH!" 

"Y'know repeating a crap insult doesn't make it better." Riko sighed. "You are a child."

"Ok, I don't know about the redhead over there but you are the clingiest person I have ever seen. Wherever Chigusa's there you are clinging to her like some freaking puppy but puppies are cute and you are not." Kiyoko laughed, smugly. "Gotcha now!" 

"I AM CLINGY?!" Riko screamed, shortly paused, and took a deep breath. "You have seen Chigusa like two times in your entire life and those two times coincidentally happened to be when I was with her. If anything you are the clingy creep who was following us." 

"CLINGY! CLINGY!"

"Again, repeating the same crap-"  
  
"CLINGY! CLINGY!" Kiyoko chanted even louder, drowning out Riko's voice.

"OK, WHAT THE HELL? DO YOU HAVE NO FUCKING FRIENDS OR SOMETHING- oops" Riko immediately clasped her hand on her mouth while Aguri and Chigusa burst into a bundle of giggles. Riko sputtered out words amidst all the chaos.

"YOU SWORE!" Kiyoko faked a gasp and cackled at Riko. "YOU! SWORE!" 

"I meant hecking. I swear I did. Guys, it was a mistaaaaaaake" Riko groaned loudly and Chigusa couldn't help but laugh even more. 

"Guys- I-" Riko huffed. "Whatever I give up." Riko sighed, loudly.

After curbing her laughter Aguri gently slapped her face and shook her head, viciously almost as she was driving all the sorrow away from herself. "That was a good refresher! Now, let's have some fun until my sister's performance! I don't want you guys to mope around because of me." 

"You sure, Aguri?" Riko asked. "You don't have to act like you're okay for our sake." 

"Y-yes! We should make the most of the evening." She smiled a cheery infectious smile that made Riko smile as well. "I am worried for Miko but I need to learn to have some faith in her as well!"

"Oooo! Do you guys want to have fun? Then you should join me. I know how to show a person a great time!" Kiyoko's eyes sparkled in excitement. "Come aboard the Kiyoko fun train!" 

"Chigusa, I am scared. Let's run away." Riko squeaked. "Please dear God I do not want to climb aboard the Kiyoko fun train. That sounds disgusting." 

Chigusa shook her head.

"Nope, all aboard the Kiyoko fun train. Let's go, Riko!" 

"Oh no, Chigusa has caught Kiyoko's insanity." Riko groaned but even Riko couldn't help but smile.

"I am a nice person I'll allow demons on the train!" Kiyoko smirked at Riko. 

"Oh dear, whatever would I have done if I was not allowed on the Kiyoko fun train!" Riko said, rolling her eyes.

"Exactly! Aren't I just so nice?" 

"I was being sarcastic." 

"Details, details!" 

Kiyoko shot forward and beckoned them to follow her. Aguri, Chigusa, and Riko took to their heels to follow the little ball of tornado and after a few turns, they stopped in front of a shop that was decorated by cardboard fishes. Chigusa noted a tiny aquarium, open on the top full of fishes. Ah.

It's a goldfish scooping stall.

"Are you guys ready to scoop some fishies?!" Kiyoko grabbed a bunch of scoopers and gave each of them a scooper and a bowl.

Chigusa hurridly pulled out her purse and rustled through it, checking the cost on the board when Kiyoko angrily poked her.

"Nope! Nope! No need to pay. This one's on me!" She pumped her hand excitedly. "Just make sure to give us a good rating on the rating boards which is on your way out." 

"Yes, please do give us a good rating." A girl in kimono appeared from behind them and said. Aguri jumped at her sudden appearance and squeaked, clutching Chigusa's hand. The girl's sharp eyes bore holes through the three of them and she was gone as quickly as she had appeared.

"Who- what-" 

"Oh, ignore her. She does that at times." Kiyoko said and waved to the tiny aquarium. "You better be ready to do some scoopin'" 

"I don't think you can just ignore something like that…." Riko tilted her head. 

"She was scary." Aguri nervously clasped the scooper. 

Chigusa nodded and bent down first with Riko and Aguri following her soon. 

Aguri gently tried to scoop a goldfish but the scooper broke before she could catch a single one.

"Ah! I am really bad at this." 

"Your turn, Riko." Kiyoko snickered. "I doubt you could catch a single one." 

"Well, you see" Riko dipped the scooper and elegantly twisted it as quick as the eyes could move and caught a fish in her bowl. "I am a natural." She finished, snickering back at Kiyoko.

"WHAT?!" 

"That's impressive, Riko!" Chigusa gasped. "You are so good." 

"Between you and me, my brother is a National Goldfish Scooping Champion." Riko huffed. "He can not get a job to save his life but he can scoop goldfishes quite well." 

"Scooping goldfishes is a life skill." Chigusa declared and Riko's faces morphed into one of disgust.

Now, it was Chigusa's turn. She gradually lowered the scooper and tried to mimic Riko's actions but she lacked the finesse of Riko's twist and the scooper partially broke. 

"Oops!" Chigusa giggled. "Guess I am not so good at this either, huh?" 

  
"Have some more." Kiyoko grabbed a couple more but Chigusa stopped her. 

"Ok, that's enough. This time I am paying." 

"But-"

Chigusa shoved a couple of coins into the money box and poked Kiyoko. "Don't go bankrupt for us now."

"Aw, all right." Chigusa accepted the second batch of scoopers and handed one to Aguri. She nodded at Riko. 

"Time for round two!" And just as neatly as before Riko scooped another one.

Chigusa noted every flick of Riko's hand and tried her hand at catching a pretty eye-catching orange and white Demekin.

She flicked her wrists and the scooper broke once again but the fish was thrown out and Chigusa impulsively caught it.

"Oh! It broke!" Chigusa sighed.

"But you caught one. Nice work!" Riko gave her a thumbs up which she gladly accepted.

"Oh, will I be able to do it?" Aguri asked, nervously fidgeting with her bow. 

"It's all about the perfect flick, Aguri. Give your best shot." 

Aguri dipped the scooper and scooped with all her power. The fish flee out of the tiny pool over Chigusa and Riko's head and flopped right onto Kiyoko's purple mope of hair.

"Guys, why is there a fish on my head?!" Kiyoko whined.

"Nice work, Aguri. This might not be considered as a win in the official National Goldscooping Competition but you won in my book." Riko laughed while Kiyoko struggled to get the floppy fish in a bowl.

"Of course you consider this a win, demon. Go away." Kiyoko jabbed Riko's cheek aggressively with a scooper and the latter fought back with her scooper.

"All right, break up guys. Let's go get something to eat." Chigusa said and snatched the scooper off Riko's hand.

"Ohhhh, can we get Takoyaki??" Kiyoko's eyes shimmered as she eyed the takoyaki stall.

"If you pay then sure." Riko rolled her eyes. "I don't think children can pay though." 

"Mean! I can pay!" Kiyoko stormed off but Chigusa caught her by the collar and pulled her back. 

"She was joking. I'll pay." 

"Chigusa you paid for the fish scooping. Let me handle this." Aguri hopped to the stall before Chigusa could get a word in.

"She's having fun it seems." Chigusa giggled. "I'm happy." 

"Yep. Good for her. Looks like she will be fine." Riko huffed. "It's tough to see the smiley Aguri all mopey and sad."

* * *

The rest of the time was spent just walking around awwing and adoring plushies and anything cute that caught their eyes.

Kiyoko would insist on buying everything, Chigusa would offer to pay and Riko would make fun of Kiyoko for having childish tastes while Aguri laughed in the back at their antics. 

After about half an hour of mindless walking the strange girl from before appeared quite literally out of nowhere and dragged Kiyoko away with just the nod of a head and an iron grip on Kiyoko's wrist. 

"I gotta go back to take care of the stall, guys! You should head to the stage I think the stage performance is starting soon! Have fun!" Kiyoko managed to cry out as the girl dragged her away.

Riko smiled. "I am relieved. The child is gone!" 

"Weren't you the one having the most fun with her though?" Aguri raised her eyebrows.

"Sure, if bickering is considered fun in your book." 

The small talk continued as they made their way to the stage and Chigusa once again felt her heart lose itself as she set her eyes on the stage on the stage. It was extraordinary and she couldn't get enough of it.

A boy with an elegant suit and a girl with a fluffy dress stood on the stage announcing the next performance which was by a dance club of the middle school.

Chigusa couldn't believe it but tr amount of people had doubled since their last visit to the stage and with some pushing and shoving they were able to grab corner seats. It was an absolute warzone and they were lucky enough to get three seats and while Chigusa felt grateful that she could rest her tired feet she was disappointed that she couldn't see the stage as clearly as before.

"Oh, I can not see!" Aguri moaned. "I hope people clear out during Miko's performance." 

"I hate to break it to you but I doubt this crowd's going to clear out any time soon." Riko ducked trying to catch what's going on the stage but a big burly man blocked her view. "Damn it." 

Chigusa stretched her head as far as she could and caught glimpses of little kids on the stage doing a simple side to side wave. The children were just too cute and she moved forward to catch a better look and the same big burly man blocked her view.

"Oh noooooo!" Chigusa leaned back on her seat. "I wanted to see more. They were just the cutest little darlings." 

"Aw, this sucks." 

The next few performances were ones that didn't exactly require a visual. The trio relaxed on their seats as the sweet harmony of the choir club soothed their minds. 

Most of them flashed by in a wiz as Riko kept them entertained with her thoughts (More like nitpicking every little mistake.) but even Riko had to admit that the performances so far were quite impressive.

Yuigaoka was a huge name in their town and anyone who got a chance to study at Yuigaoka was amazingly lucky and it was usually the rich kids. As much as Chigusa hated to admit it she doubted their school could put up a festival better than this. Chigusa's school was by no means small but in front of Yuigaoka, it didn't exactly stand a chance.

Still, it was her duty as a member of the student council to try her absolute best to put up an amazing festival. Chigusa resolved to make this year's school festival the best one since the school had first been built.

"Heyyyyy, Chigusa!" 

"Hm?" Chigusa turned around and came face to face with bright yellow sparkling eyes peeking from behind her chair.

"Hello, Kiyoko. Done with the stall?" Chigusa asked.

"Yeah! Now, come with me!" She whispered, loud enough to be heard over the music.

"And lose our seats? No way." Riko huffed. "These seats suck but at least it's better than standing getting pushed and pulled in this huge crowd."

"Just trust me. I know this school like the back of my hand. Come on!" 

She scurried off like a hamster through the huge crowd and beckoned them to follow. Chigusa followed without missing a beat. Aguri shrugged and followed Chigusa once again leaving a hesitant Riko behind.

"Damn it." She whispered and let go of her seat which was quickly occupied by the big burly men.

"This better be a good place, Kiyoko." Riko sighed. "My feet bloody hurt." 

Kiyoko swiveled around and stuck her tongue out at Riko and continued walking. 

"Are you kidding- whatever." Riko groaned, massaging her temples with her fingers. 

Aguri chuckled as Riko muttered under her breath. Chigusa steadily climbed the path which soon became quite steep. 

"Be careful, guys." She called out and they nodded. The path was filled with a ton of twists and turns until they finally came upon the top.

"There we go!" Kiyoko hopped and landed, gracefully on her foot on top of the hill. Chigusa dragged her tired feet and the pauses as the top of the hill came into view. 

Chigusa almost forgot to breathe. The beautiful flowers, the gentle moonlight, and the gorgeous path, it seemed too good to be true. A picture-perfect scenery. In the middle of this spectacular garden was the girl from before. Her green kimono shimmered under the moonlight. The Kanzashi tying her jade green hair had a complementary green flower. It almost felt like a scene too good to be true.

(Like one of those lovely aesthetic photos you find on Pinterest which are 100℅ real by the way. No cap.)

(…………..Chigusa knew they were fake but deep inside her heart she hoped she could see a scene like that in real life and today, here she was.) 

The girl turned, her sharp eyes glaring at the three of them. They were a beautiful shade of lime green that made Chigusa's heart flutter. She seemed untouchable. Almost unreal. 

"Holy…" Aguri whispered next to her and Chigusa couldn't help but nod.

Riko's quite suspicious "hmm" didn't escape her ears. Riko's harsh eyes had caught sight of something that Chigusa hadn't, but she knew better than to ask. Riko would tell her when the time was right. 

Kiyoko wildly waved to the girl who looked away from Kiyoko, the bow on her kimono fluttered gently in the wind. Kiyoko ran over to her and they shared a conversation only for their ears and the girl was soon gone, just as swiftly as she had caught their eyes.

"Who was that?" Riko asked, cutting the heavy silence.

"A friend. Anyway, doesn't matter! Hurry on up!" Kiyoko pointed towards a blanket on the ground that was on the edge of the hill hidden behind some bushes. 

Chigusa locked the image from earlier in her mind and followed Kiyoko. Once they got through the crowd of bushes Chigusa's senses clicked again.

The view from the spot was near perfect. 

"Oh wow. I can see everything from up here." Aguri gasped. "Thank you so much, Kiyoko! This is great!" 

"This is…..passable. I mean it's better than what I expected." Riko murmured but Chigusa smiled as Riko pulled her phone out and quietly clicked a picture which cheered on Chigusa to do the same. Not everything needs to be stored in her mind.

"It's great, Kiyoko. Nice work." Chigusa heart bubbled as she checked the picture out. The stage looked even more gorgeous from the hill if that was even possible. "This is breathtaking!"

"THANK YOOOOOOOOOOOU!" Kiyoko cooed at the compliment and slumped down beside Chigusa and snuggled closer to the brunette.

Aguri held her breath and checked her soft baby pink wristwatch. 

"Miko said it's around 7:40 PM. It's almost 7:15. I hope she's doing fine." 

"7:40? Oh, I remember that's the time slot for- 

"Ahhhhhh! Don't say it! Miko wanted it to be a secreeet!!" Aguri hurriedly screamed, waving her hands wildly and Riko clasped her hand on Kiyoko's mouth.

"Shush, child." Kiyoko tried to answer but all that came out were muffled words that were ignored by a nervous Aguri and Chigusa who was busy comforting the former. 

After a while of muffled squeals and complaining Kiyoko gave up and laid back, letting the bush support her. She silently seethed until her eyes caught a glimpse of the time on her watch and instantly she sat up and licked Riko's hand on her mouth.

"Ew-what the?!"

"It's 7:20! Time for Mayumi's performance." Kiyoko hurriedly got on her feet and moved to the edge of the hill. Chigusa grabbed Kiyoko's shoulders and pulled her back from the edge and sent her a stern glare.

"You can watch it better from here. Don't throw yourself off the cliff now."

Kiyoko sheepishly chuckled and her eyes were back on the stage. 

Mayumi. Chigusa thought that it was quite a beautiful name.

The girl from a few minutes ago entered the stage from the corner, her footsteps as graceful and light as it could be. She turned her back to the audience and raised one of her hands in a stunning swan-like pose and time seemed to stand still.

Somehow, Chigusa wasn't surprised that "Mayumi" turned out to be the same girl they had seen a few minutes ago. The name just fit the girl way too much for it to be a coincidence.

"That's Mayumi?" Riko asked and Kiyoko hummed.

"That's her!" 

"Mayumi Aoyama?"

"You know her?!" Chigusa asked, excited. "She's awesome, you know?!"

"I know her and awesome is not something that I would describe her as." Riko leaned back. 

The lights of the stage switched on in a flash.

Chigusa could see her outfit more clearly thanks to the stage lights and she seized her opportunity to appreciate the intricacy of the kimono. It was a knee-length kimono and the bow was tied flawlessly.

Chiguasa wondered if she could pull off the outfit and glanced at herself instinctively when a soft melody played through the speakers. The girl moved in gentle steps to the beat of the music but soon the music changed into a fiery steadfast beat. 

Music echoed through the entire stadium as the beat became faster. It was a mix of traditional music played by the shamisen and fast guitar track which worked together quite well to create a fierce beat. Chigusa couldn't guess all the instruments in the song but she could tell that the melody was quite complex.

The girl's feet moved like they were floating on water and just as it had begun it ended with her moving to her initial stance and raising her arm.

The audience erupted into a racket of cheers, claps, and hoots that Chigusa completely missed anything that Kiyoko had said.

"What?!" She asked at a beaming Kiyoko.

"WASN'T THAT AWESOME?!" Kiyoko screamed over the loud crowd. "She is so freaking cool!" 

"I agree! She is amazing!" Chigusa said as she watched her descend the stage with the same elegance as before.

Even after the stage cleared out the crowd screamed and roared for a good while until the MC also had to screech into the mic to catch the attention of the audience.

  
"It's 7:35. Five more minutes before your sister's performance!" Chigusa cheered but there was no response from Aguri.

Chigusa faced Aguri to meet very nervous and focused eyes, glaring at the stage. 

"Good luck, Miko" Aguri whispered and clasped her racing heart.


End file.
